Dynamism
is one of the keys which I constantly keep in my personal and professional life. This is innate, but still has to be continuously polished to be effective when needed.
Manifestation of this essential component has been seen in my proactive approach in my actions and communication. Show me boundless energy, and you'll have my undivided attention just like what the complete cast of Burn the Floor:Ballroom Re-invented achieved at The Theatre at Solaire on July 12, 2025.
This Saturdate with my sister Cristy — my regular theatre buddy and fellow dance enthusiast — unsuspectedly delivered us a couple of firsts.
One is our pre-show buffet lunch at Fresh even though we're not fond of this all-you-can-eat meal (reason to be revealed later). *e-laughs*
Two is our occupying a premium seating.
Well, we had expected the change of seats when we arrived at the venue but *gasps* not to a VIP seating. Weeeeeeee!
This assumption about a free theatre seat upgrade was due to the absence of a crowd, which we would encounter at the lobby during Broadway musicals. It signaled that it wouldn't be a full house for this 27 year-old internationally acclaimed show. Despite having great love for performance and dance, it's understandable if Filipinos would be uninterested in spending for Burn the Floor (BTF). In our case, it's our mutual love for dance (Hello, family genetics!) and a desire for recreation that made us find ourselves eagerly anticipating the start of this well-hyped ballroom re-invention.
BTF's opening act exposed a stage sans backdrops. I saw the set-up of a band with its poised drummer, percussionist and guitarist. A male violinist, standing stage left and spotlighted, hit the first note while two dancers entered, waltzed and glided. The scene was aesthetically dramatic. I forgot all about the initial plainness of the stage (Minimal decors and props were utilized as the show progressed). My eyes and ears were transfixed as perfervid genres of ballroom dances — waltz, foxtrot, tango, samba, jive, paso doble, etc. — were performed in a continuing series.
I was glad that my prediction about an entire dance showcase to the standard recorded music was wrong. There I was, being treated to a concert! All the accompaniment and songs were performed live by the band while the 16-member dance ensemble imbued high-octane animation to the repertoire. Each performance became a captivating story, showing dance as a universal form of human expression!
What made me totally enjoy BTF was being familiar to some of the tracks with fresh adaptations. Personal favorites were Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal and Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, the songs for paso doble; Tito Fuentes's Ran Kan Kan for cha-cha; Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud for rumba; and Jerry Jeff Walker's Mr. Bojangles for foxtrot. Mark Stefanoff's powerful voice had me loving the touching musical arrangement for Mr. Bojangles and its choreography. Worth adding was Jamie Valente's groovy instrumental guitar of Oye Como Va, another Tito Fuentes's composition. Topping these entertainments though was Dion Holganza's. She was the lone female vocalist and a Filipino, our kababayan. Her rendition of It's a Man's Man's Man's World left me gaping and holding my breath! Her interpretation was second to none. She put Seal in his place.
While viewing, my sensual experience took me back to those times when I was a teacher-choreographer for my grade school students. Watching BTF evoked a nostalgia of one unforgettable production where I fused two cuts — Queen's We Will Rock You and Shakira's Whenever, Wherever — in performing paso doble.
Those precious years saw my fiery passion in dancing. I thank BTF for allowing me to have a déjà vu and to feel the same intensity of euphoria again. That's why when the show concluded, my emotions had reached its climax too.
Everybody was already on their feet and generously acknowledged the delivery on BTF’s promise — an electrifying show!
Exiting the theatre, I could sense the same pleasure coming from the audience members. Hopefully, no one would magnify the issue on the small number of spectators during the matinee but rather share their rewarding experiences brought about by BTF.
Yes, July 12, 2025 had been marked special for my sister and me. Definitely this was another exceptional show which we would be adding to our theatre log book.
Burn the Floor was the first non-musical play which we watched together, yet we still attained an increased level of emotional, social and artistic growth. Now, will we undergo the same positive development next month?
This will only be answered if Lady Luck intervenes for
us “late bloomers” after having the raffle tickets because of that buffet. Hahahaha...I am blushing just thinking about this event, which we had taken seriously owing to timely circumstances!
Photo credit:
abs.cbn.com
Cristy M. Mediavillo
Author's Note:
I, a non-professional dancer, sincerely apologize if the dance names were erroneous.
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